Shen Tang's ominous premonition was soon confirmed.

This is indeed a very strong, ominous wind.

The city walls were dilapidated, the streets desolate, and the buildings still bore the charred marks of a raging fire, making it seem like a ghost town devoid of human life. This was the scene that greeted Shen Tang as she rode her motorcycle into the city. After traveling for a long time, she finally spotted several huddled figures rummaging through the ruins. She jumped off her motorcycle and, without hesitation, went forward to approach one of them.

"My lord—"

Xun Ding looked at Shen Tang with a tense expression.

Shen Tang waved his hand to indicate that he didn't need to be too nervous.

"I'm fine, I was just looking around."

If there were anything in the city that could threaten her life, the city wouldn't have been breached in less than half a day. Shen Tang braced herself on her knees, bent down, and approached the old woman. The weather hadn't fully warmed up yet; the old woman was wearing a thin jacket, the outer layer worn and without any inner padding of reeds. Her exposed skin was covered in chilblains, some cracked and oozing pus.

"Old woman, what are you doing?"

The old lady is getting on in years and her hearing isn't very good.

Shen Tang asked three times, but the other person didn't respond. The thin, bony body shivered in the cold wind. She took off her outer garment and covered the old man with it. Only then did the old man notice Shen Tang and turned his head shakily.

Those were extremely cloudy eyes.

When she looked down and saw the clothes draped over her shoulders, she awoke as if from a dream and collapsed to the ground, shrinking back in fear and trepidation. Only then did Shen Tang notice what the old woman was clutching – a few specks of moss. Shen Tang waved Xun Ding away, signaling him to stay further away so his large frame wouldn't frighten her. Once the woman had calmed down, she asked, "Old woman, may I ask you something?"

The old woman had no idea why Shen Tang had come.

Shen Tang asked, "Where have all the able-bodied men in the city gone?"

During the siege, Shen Tang noticed that the defenders were all elderly veterans. Although there were generals guarding the city, they were all weak, white-haired old men. After entering the city, there were no young or strong men to be seen. She had a vague idea in her heart, but dared not think about it.

The old woman's breathing was unsteady, and her words were slurred.

Even with careful listening, you can still make out what she said.

She said, "They're all gone... they've all left..."

The old woman carefully examined Shen Tang's clothing with her cloudy eyes. Seeing that she was dressed cleanly and respectably, she suddenly knelt down, struggling to close her stiff, frostbitten fingers, and made a deep bow, begging for food from Shen Tang with tears streaming down her face. Shen Tang asked Xun Ding to bring the food. The old woman was so moved that she wanted to kowtow, but Shen Tang stopped her with a gesture: "Old woman, don't do that—"

The old woman received the food, but she didn't eat it herself.

Instead, he waved to the ruins not far away.

A moment later, a thin, dark figure crawled out and staggered to the old woman's side. The old woman carefully tore off a small piece and fed it to the child. Those who witnessed this scene gathered around and knelt down before Shen Tang.

They were all there to beg for food.

Of course, some people also had fierce looks in their eyes.

Seeing the tall and imposing Xun Ding beside Shen Tang, he dared not act rashly. Shen Tang had Xun Ding distribute all the dry rations. At this moment, she couldn't care less about anything else; a more terrifying thought quietly sprouted, making her feel as if she had fallen into an ice cellar...

This city probably has no young and able-bodied men left.

Only the elderly and children remained.

A short while later, Xu Quan arrived on horseback, his face grim: "My lord, before we arrived, the local official led the able-bodied men to retreat, looting and taking away all the grain and valuables in the city. Before leaving, he also set a large fire, burning more than half of the buildings in the city."

Some families still had stored up grain, enough to barely survive for a few more days.

Many more people are facing the desperate situation of running out of ammunition and food.

The old woman beside him had just been looking for moss in the corner. But she was old and frail, and what she found would likely be snatched away by someone stronger. When Xu Quan arrived, he also saw someone dismantling plaster from a wall; it was mixed with dried reeds and grass, enough to stave off hunger.

Shen Tang was shocked by the news brought by Xu Quan.

She muttered to herself, "They did it ruthlessly, so ruthlessly!"

Shen Tang assumed the enemy's scorched-earth policy was a desperate defense, aimed at hindering their advance. Little did she know, their actions were far more ruthless. They took the able-bodied men, leaving only the elderly and weak, leaving the city without ammunition or food. Had Shen Tang and her group arrived any later, would there even be any survivors in the city? She watched as people practically scrambled for food, frantically stuffing whatever they could find into their mouths, and she dared not even imagine it.

"Yong'an, go find your father and arrange for people to set up tents and distribute porridge..." Shen Tang regretted not bringing Lin Feng with her. If she were here, the food shortage would be much less, but Lin Feng stayed in Sibao County for cotton, so it was a difficult choice.

Xun Dingdao said, "My lord, our grain supplies are also..."

Shen Tang brought out an ample amount of food.

They later received two more batches of supplies from the rear.

But given the current situation, there is simply not enough food.

Shen Tang left no room for argument: "Do as instructed!"

Xun Ding had no choice but to clasp his hands in response, "This humble general obeys."

Shen Tang did not keep his actions a secret from his three allies.

Tao Yan clicked his tongue and said, "Our Mr. Shen really does what he says, but I wonder how much property you have to afford such waste." There are quite a few elderly and weak people in the city.

These mouths consume just as much food as the able-bodied men. The able-bodied men can fight for them after eating, but feeding the old and weak is just a waste of resources. Tao Yan is stirring things up right now, hoping that Shen Tang will give up all the food for this foolish thing that will get no reward.

Shen Tang was in a very bad mood.

He glanced at Tao Yan with disdain: "Heh, even filial sons and grandsons are starting to point fingers at your ancestors' pockets? Even if I take your ancestors to the grave, you won't get the slightest benefit. If you don't want your bean sprout to get kicked again, shut your back door."

Tao Yan stared intently at Shen Tang with a livid face.

But this time he dared not continue to provoke.

Getting beaten up by a mentally ill idiot is pointless.

To Shen Tang's surprise, instead of the three allies she expected to stand idly by, Qian Yong was the first to lend a helping hand. Of course, he didn't contribute any supplies—Qian Yong had been relying on his classmate Zhang He for years; Zhang He provided supplies, money, and territory, and he helped him fight—basically, he was living hand to mouth, worrying about where his next meal would come from. However, he did have some connections.

Sending someone over to help out is no problem.

Shen Tang looked at him with suspicion and wariness.

Qian Yong grinned and said, "Why is Lord Shen so wary? It's not like you're the only human being and everyone else is an animal. But, to put it bluntly, Lord Shen is doing this kind of thing for no reward and will get no return."

Realizing that Qian Yong meant no harm, Shen Tang, unusually, lowered her guard and replied calmly, "Their survival is a reward in itself."

Qian Yong slapped his thigh and sighed, "We really should let Zhang Yongqing come and see what the living Great Sage looks like."

Shen Tang thought he was being sarcastic and didn't want to pay attention to him.

To everyone's surprise, Qian Yong took the initiative to explain: "I didn't mean any harm by what I said. I was just praising you, really. Although our two families don't get along, I have to say something from the bottom of my heart—I admire no one but you, Shen Youli, for your character."

Qian Yong originally did not want to get involved.

But seeing that Shen Tang not only talks the talk but also walks the walk, I felt that I should do something too, otherwise it would be too awkward to just watch.

If he can't provide the grain, he can provide a person instead.

Finally, he wanted to ask Shen Tang one more question.

Qian Yong had been keeping this to himself for a long time.

"Does Shen Jun really have no worldly desires at all?"

Shen Tang: "???"

This is a dangerous issue.

Fortunately, Qian Yong's next words steered the conversation in a normal direction: "People live their lives for fame and fortune, for luxury cars and horses, or for beautiful women... Shen Jun seems to be too ascetic and harsh on himself. This is really not like a human being."

Shen Tang remained silent for a while.

She said wistfully, "Actually, I love money."

Qian Yong vaguely thought he was hearing things because of tinnitus.

"Loves money?"

Shen Tang said helplessly, "It's just that I'm destined to lose money."

Anyone who had the chance to deal with such a group of eccentric scholars who were good for nothing would become detached from worldly desires. What else could she do but become ascetic? Unfortunately, her honest words were dismissed as a perfunctory excuse by Qian Yong. He didn't take Shen Tang's answer to heart.

After Qian Yong left, Shen Tang turned to Gu Chi and whispered something.

"Why do I feel like Uncle Qian is seducing me?"

Is this man deliberately trying to get her attention?

Gu Chi selectively ignored the obvious and extracted the key information: "He's trying to curry favor with our lord and repair the relationship between the two families. Qian Shuhe and Zhang Yongqing have a delicate relationship. On the surface, they're all amicable, but behind the scenes, they frequently clash. Zhang Yongqing wants to get rid of Qian Shuhe, this burden, so he has to find a new employer. If our lord can accept him, that would be perfect..."

Qian Yong's greatest desire was to have his own territory to establish himself and build a foothold, but he ran into a brick wall with Shen Tang, who seemed like an easy target, and suffered a severe blow. He continued to participate in the Dragon Slaying Squad in order to seize the opportunity to gain a foothold, but at present, the hope was slim.

Since they can't be independent, they should continue to rely on others.

Being affiliated with Zhang He is one thing, being affiliated with Shen Tang is another.

Even if there's a grudge, as long as Shen Tang's character can withstand the test, it's a guarantee for Qian Yong. However, while Qian Yong's closeness might be a good thing to others, Shen Tang doesn't have much territory to spare for Qian Yong. If she accepts Qian Yong, she'll have to provide financial and material support, which is inefficient.

Therefore, Shen Tang pretended that he knew nothing about this matter.

However, he did not reject Qian Yong's overtures.

It's always a good thing to have one less enemy.

Zhang He didn't give Shen Tang much time to clean up the mess. Warfare is all about speed; while morale was high, they wanted to seize the opportunity and take another city in one fell swoop. But the result was obvious: the destination was playing out a familiar scenario—only the old and weak remained, no able-bodied men or food. Zhang He said, "The enemy's intentions are malicious; they're deliberately using this tactic to deplete our supplies."

Specifically—

Only Shen Tang's family was consumed.

Tao Yan deliberately raised his voice and said in a sarcastic tone, "The opportunity for battle cannot be delayed. We should join forces with the alliance leader as soon as possible and concentrate our troops to attack Ganzhou. We must not lose sight of the bigger picture for the sake of a small gain."

Shen Tang has not slept well for the past few days.

The consequence of sleep deprivation is also irritability: "Did you get stabbed in the silkworm room? Your words are sharp and sarcastic. If you were among the eunuchs, it would be hard to tell who was a real eunuch and who was a fake one. Or are they all real eunuchs?"

Because Tao Yan has repeatedly acted like a jerk, Shen Tang now feels nauseous whenever she hears his voice, and looks away before he can even refute her.

The more she ignored him, the more furious Tao Yan became. He went back to his wife to discuss the matter, and an idea quickly formed in his mind.

"That despicable Tao Shenyu, humph, a leopard can't change its spots." Thinking that his grandfather and father's deaths were related to such a scoundrel, Gu Chi felt indignant on their behalf. He was the first to discover the problem and, without hesitation, ordered the arrest and delivery of the man to Shen Tang.

Shen Tang looked at the two trembling soldiers below.

The soldiers' uniforms were their own.

"Shao Xuan, what happened?"

Bai Su, who had been singled out, stepped forward, clasped her hands in greeting, and reported, "My lord, these two are spreading rumors in the camp and undermining morale!"

Shen Tang was still completely confused.

Her military leadership was neither a success nor a failure.

She hadn't suffered any defeats yet, so why would her soldiers betray her? After some questioning, Shen Tang finally learned the truth and sneered repeatedly.

This matter is not complicated.

Tao Yan and Shen Tang had a very bad relationship, but with so many soldiers from both sides, some contact was inevitable. These two soldiers had received some benefits from Tao Yan's troops, and they'd also heard that Shen Tang, out of misplaced kindness, had diverted all the military pay meant for the army to help the elderly and weak. If it were only a portion, it wouldn't be so bad, but with the army having less than half a month's worth of food remaining, this was a serious problem.

The two soldiers did not believe it at first.

But they couldn't withstand the other party's financial offensive.

If you've taken a bribe, you'll naturally have to do favors for them. Simply spreading a vague, unsubstantiated rumor to let everyone know that military funds have been misappropriated isn't a big problem. Besides, the more people know and the more the rumor spreads, the less likely they are to be implicated.

That's what they were thinking, clinging to a侥幸心理 (a gambler's mentality).

The more Shen Tang listened, the colder his expression became.

This was the first time the two soldiers had seen Shen Tang so closely, and feeling the faint, yet undeniably chilling, pressure emanating from him, they felt a vague sense of fear. At the head of the table, Shen Tang asked expressionlessly, "Do you know how much harm this rumor could cause if it spreads?"

Shaking morale is the least of your worries.

In severe cases, it could even lead to a mutiny!

The two soldiers shrugged and shook their heads.

In their view, this was just something to talk about.

How serious can topics used to kill time be?

"Do you even know this is betrayal? According to military law, the lightest punishment is being cut in half at the waist?" Shen Tang's voice suddenly rose, and she grabbed whatever was at hand and threw it in front of them. Her anger made her want to kill that bastard Tao Yan without a second thought. "You're asking for death!"

Do they really not know that what they are doing is wrong?

I knew it, but I did it anyway.

"Shao Xuan, I'm leaving this to you. Make sure you kill them all."

"only!"

The two soldiers then frantically begged for mercy, but Bai Su crushed their jawbones with one hand, her eyes cold and menacing: "Drag them out!"

Once the tent was quiet, Shen Tang rubbed her nose wearily: "Wang Chao, thank goodness you found out in time this time... I never expected that bastard Tao Shenyu would bite so hard when he suddenly bites. Even if it weren't for you, I would still kill his whole family, from top to bottom. A family should be together, all intact!"

Gu Chi advised, "Please calm down, my lord."

Shen Tang waved her hand: "Don't worry, I'm not angry, and I haven't lost my mind. On the contrary, I'm very clear-headed now, clear-headed like never before. Why would I get angry with a beast? This kind of jumping insect can only jump around like this for now."

Gu Chi: "..."

She claims she's not angry, yet she went so far as to say she'd kill the entire family from top to bottom. You should know that in Longwu County, among those wicked and corrupt officials, she only executed the bandit leader and spared the women and children.

_(:з」∠)_